Visited on: March 2023
造訪日期：2023年3月
We took a family road trip to Kyushu this past Spring, taking little Em to this part of Japan for the first time. Traveling with a 2-year-old isn’t ideal for packed schedules, so we only stayed in the Northern Kyushu Area even though we had almost two weeks to spend. Here’s the route:
春暖花開的季節，我們去了一趟九州。因為帶著兩歲小孩所以行程安排得鬆散，雖然去了近兩周時間，但範圍都沒離開過九州北部。現在已很難再追求探店踩點，旅行嘛，慢悠悠地，把壓力降到最低就對了。
本次行程：由布院（2晚） – 阿蘇（2晚） – 八女（2晚） – 浮羽（1晚） – 福岡（4晚）
In comparison, when I had my first road trip in Kyushu with a girl friend back in 2016, the two of us drove from Fukuoka all the way down to the Southern tip of Kagoshima in just five days, and it didn’t seem rushed at all. Seven years may not seem like a long time, but apparently I’m in a completely different life stage and state of mind now…
相較之下，2016年我也曾跟朋友去九州自由行過，兩個單身女子才五天就從福岡一路開到南端的鹿兒島，當時也不覺得趕。時隔七年說不上太久，但已是全然不同的人生階段和心境了。
Most people would start their Kyushu trip with a few days in Fukuoka (where the international airport is), but as we wanted to get some onsen time ASAP, we picked up our rental car at the airport immediately after landing and drove to Yufuin. This little town, famed for its onsen sources, is about a 1.5-hour drive from Fukuoka, and is also reachable via the “Yufuin no Mori” train. For this part of our trip, we chose to stay at the recently-opened (Summer 2022) KAI Yufuin, designed by Kengo Kuma and part of the Hoshino Resorts.
大部分人在九州旅行的開始都會在福岡待上幾天，不過我們想馬上進入溫泉的行程，抵達後直接在機場租了車，開往由布院。這裡距離福岡車程約1.5小時，不開車也能搭乘 “由布院之森” 列車前往，相當方便。這次我們選擇入住2022年夏天才開幕的界 由布院 KAI Yufuin，由於飯店還很新所以看不到太多評價，但畢竟是星野集團出品，又由畏研吾操刀設計，令人很想一試。
KAI Yufuin is about a 10-minute drive from from Yufuin’s central street – not so far that it’s inconvenient, but removed enough to have its own quiet nook. There is a large patio from which guests can admire the cascading rice paddies and the faraway mountains, its scenery evolving with the seasons. When we visited during early Spring, there was a lingering melancholic vibe from the Winter the just passed…which I thought that was quite charming as well, even though it’s vastly different from the lush green as shown on the hotel website.
界 由布院的位置相對隱秘，距離由布院最熱鬧的湯之坪商店街大約10分鐘車程，不會遠到不方便，但足以擁有自己的一片寧靜。飯店的設計主題是 “感受梯田四季風景的休憩旅宿”，有可眺望廣闊梯田和山景的觀景台，讓客人從梯田感受季節變遷。官方宣傳照是在夏季開幕時所拍攝，而我們在初春造訪時時是梯田休耕期，少了綠意，但冬季殘留下來的寂靜感有著惆悵的美麗，也別有一番風味。
At dusk, lights were lit along the paths and the paddy fields like tiny bonfires, exuding a beautiful warmth.
抵達時接近傍晚，道路旁的矮燈已經亮起，點綴在荒蕪的梯田裡，像是一點一點的營火，溫暖而美麗。
Near the entrance, a 24-hour library with complimentary self-service coffee and tea.
入口處有個24小時開放的圖書館空間，提供免費的自助咖啡茶飲。
KAI Yufuin has 41 guest rooms and 4 villas. We stayed in one of the villas with outdoor onsen, which was plenty of space for our family of three. The interior is dotted with elements incorporating local materials and culture – bamboo headboards and sofa, woven light fixtures inspired by traditional firefly baskets, etc.
界由布院總共有41間客房和4間獨棟別墅，我們入住的是設有溫泉小屋的別墅。空間舒适，大小對於一家三口來說是寬敞的。室內運用了大量當地盛產的原材料來製作傢具 – 竹子沙發、螢籠掛燈、七島古藺榻榻米…一進入房間就立刻被柔和香氣包圍。
The hotel had prepared a small futon for Em on the floor, but in the end we combined the two beds to share amongst the three of us. On a related note, Japanese-style hotels charge by the person (instead of by the room), but kids under 3 are free of charge, and kids between from 4-6 can also stay for free if they don’t need an extra bed or food.
卧室里有兩張單人床，客服另外在墊高處給Em準備了兒童futon，不過我們後來把兩張床合並，三人一起睡。（順帶一提，日式飯店的收費是按人數算的，不過3歲以下小朋友不收費，4-6歲小朋友不占床不含餐的話也不收費。）
Luggage and closet space is also aplenty. We had brought quite a bit of coats and scarves as Spring in Kyushu can be quite chilly, and there was no problem fitting everything.
放置行李和外套的空間也很足。初春的九州還滿冷的，我們帶了許多大外套、圍巾，都能收納。
A change of clothes for the onsen, provided by the hotel.
飯店提供的館內衣，穿上就可以一身輕松去泡溫泉。
For those who don’t like public hot spring, this villa has its own private outdoor onsen in the form of a large bath tub, which is spacious enough to fit the three of us.
若不想去大眾池，別墅內也有露天的溫泉。浴缸寬敞，我們三人同時入內也ok。
KAI toiletries, very decent quality.
界系列盥洗用品的質感都不錯，除了臉部保養品我習慣自己帶，其他全部都用飯店提供的，省了不少行李空間。
There’s a sliding door separating the bedroom and living room, an excellent design especially for those traveling with kids – after Em was put to bed at night, A and I finally got some quiet relaxing time in the living room…
房間里有個對帶小孩的旅客來說很棒的設計 – 客廳和卧室之間有拉門，晚上Em入睡後我和A還能自由地在卧室外喝酒聊天，稍稍享受一下兩人時光。
When all was settled, we strolled back to the main building for dinner. For individuals and couples, it’s ideal to sit by the window where one can enjoy the outdoor view during meal time.
一切安頓好後，我們散步回主建築用晚餐。若只有兩人，不妨安排在窗邊的座位，邊欣賞田園景色邊用餐。
As a group of three with a small child, we were seated in a room for extra privacy (a.k.a. less disturbance for other guests).
我們三人同行又帶著小孩，所以安排在包廂用餐，更有私密性，也不怕打擾到其他客人。
First thing first – some local shochu (one made from taro and one from barley, such different aroma!) for the parents.
入座後，我和A先各選了一杯九州著名的燒酎，分別由芋頭和麥子製成，香氣截然不同。一早出門經歷大半天奔波，坐下來喝杯小酒，總算有了放鬆感。呼～
Dinner was served kaiseki style, course by course. The first was a monaka – rice wafers sandwiching a patty of wild boar meat and shiitake mushroom.
酒店的晚餐需要提前預定，由會席的形式一道道上。首先是夾了山豬肉和香菇內餡的 “最中餅”，米的香氣迷人。
A refreshing salad to pair with.
搭配清爽的沙拉。
Shrimp sakura mochi, fried broad bean, hanabiratake mushroom, cherry blossoms – an exceedingly Spring dish.
蝦餡櫻花餅、蠶豆天婦羅、蘑菇、櫻花，非常春天的一道料理。
“Horaku-mori”, an assortment of “hassun” seasonal delicacies, sashimi, and vinegared dishes. The presentation on bamboo structures was quite eye-catching.
“寶樂盛” 由八寸、生魚片、和醋物組成，竹子造型的擺盤很別緻。
Fried: Japanese icefish wrapped with rice cracker, butterfish with cherry blossoms, vegetables.
炸物：白魚、方頭魚櫻花炸、蔬菜天婦羅。
Red bream, grilled soy milk skin, sansei pepper sprout, steamed pea cake covered with starchy sauce.
紅鯛魚和豆腐皮玉蒸，銀芡。
Steamed grilled beef with clay pot rice, himejima island hijiki and shiso leaves, with miso soup and pickles.
牛肉陶板燒、姬島羊棲菜和紫蘇土鍋飯、醬菜和味噌湯。
Milk-simmered yakkome with barley tea jelly. A delicious meal with just the right portion, satisfying without an ensuing food coma.
最後以玄米奶冰淇淋和麥茶凍收尾。美味而令人舒服的一餐，量抓得差不多剛剛好，滿足但不會過飽。
Reminder: dinner reservation at KAI Yufuin is obligatory. We only reserved dinner for the first night because we had plans to go out on the second day, but due to heavy rain we had hoped to stay in again for dinner, only to discover that the hotel restaurant could not accommodate us. It would be great if the hotel could remind us of this at check-in so we would be better prepared…but anyway, venturing out proved to be a good idea after all, as it allowed us to discover some gems in other parts of Yufuin. More on these in a separate post.
小提醒：飯店的晚餐一定要事先預定。我們只訂了第一晚的晚餐，結果第二晚因為大雨所以想要繼續留在飯店裡用餐，但因為廚房無法臨時準備食材所以無法接待。關於這一點，我覺得飯店若能在check-in時先提醒，比較不會讓我們當下有措手不及的感覺。不過出門覓食也讓我們發現了由布院其他的好去處，稍後介紹。
I woke up early the next morning and hopped over to the public onsen for some quiet time sans little Em. No snaps to show here as photography is not allowed in the public onsen, but you can find some on the hotel website.
Back at the villa, little Em played barista with the drip coffee bags provided by the hotel.
第二天早上起了個大早，家人還在睡，我一人先溜到了大眾湯享受無人打擾的放空時光。雖說我們入住的villa庭院里就有溫泉，不過以界 由布院來說，我個人更喜歡大眾湯的感覺，室外、室內、包括更衣間的設計都很舒適。大眾池不方便拍照，有興趣的話可以上官網看看喔。
回到房裡，將家人們喚醒。出門吃早餐前，小小barista還用飯店提供的濾耳包幫我們泡了咖啡。
The minibar also provided ginger tea bags, a godsend for the cold and wet weather during our stay.
Minibar 還有提供薑茶，在我們當時入住的濕冷天氣里非常實用。
Breakfast comes with Japanese and Western options, and for both mornings we opted for the Japanese breakfast. There’s not much more satisfying to start the day off with perfectly cooked rice, grilled fish, miso soup…
早餐有日式和西式的選擇，兩個早上我們都果斷選了日式早餐。一大早就有完美的白飯和味噌湯能享用，是最幸福的啊。
Other than the typical accompaniments, there was also a selection of braised pork and veggies to be grilled table-side.
配菜也相當豐盛，除了蛋捲、烤魚等常見的日式早餐小點，還有可以現烤加熱的蔬菜和燉豬肉。
Kids receive complimentary rice and miso soup (in cute bamboo tableware), and sides dishes from my breakfast set was more than enough to share between the two of us.
小朋友有免費的白飯和味噌湯（竹制餐具好可愛），其他配菜部分我的分她吃也都綽綽有餘。
After breakfast, A converted the living room into a temporary office for his zoom meeting.
早餐後，A先生在房裡開電話會，這個客廳的臨時辦公室還真不錯。
While Em and I explored the hotel. Her favorite part was most probably the post-onsen rest area, which had an abundant supply of fruit popsicles. I normally don’t let her eat too much sugar so naturally with occasional indulgences like these, she was totally head over heels!
將屋子讓給A，我帶著Em在酒店裡到處逛逛。她最愛的應該是泡湯休息區，因為這里有各種口味的冰棒，平時不太讓Em吃甜食的我也破例讓她嚐了嚐。她吃完一根還不過癮，把我的那根也啃完了…
We also spent some time out on the patio, feeling the cool breeze while sipping on hot tea.
母女兩也在圖書館外的露臺上喝杯熱茶、吹吹涼風，相當愜意。
There’s a fun little cultural activity held in the mornings at KAI Yufuin, where guests can make “omamori” (lucky charms) by braiding pieces of straws (usually left over from rice harvest) with colorful strings. A wonderful souvenir to take home to and a fun peek into local culture.
每間界都有可以讓住客體驗當地文化的 “當地樂” 活動，由布院的當地樂是使用由布院農民閑暇時進行的 “搓稻草” 來製作お守り（護身符），由於需透過雙手合十搓稻草來完成繩索，也有祈禱的意思。當天只有我和另一位住客參加，這位日本太太已經是第二天來做這個活動了，很正經地跟老師討論著花色和顏色的搭配，讓我也不由得認真挑選了起來。
I was only able to finish one during the session, but the instructor kindly shared two of hers with me to make a little trio for our family…how cute!
完成的護身符能帶回家，是很有意義的伴手禮。我只做了一個，但老師額外送給了兩個我，正好組成兩大一小的お守り家族，太可愛了。
Due to the pouring rain during our two days at Yufuin, we decided to cancel most of our sightseeing plans and just stay put in KAI for most of it, which turned out to be very relaxing and comfortable.
因為入住的這兩天幾乎都是傾盆大雨，我們索性放棄了原本一些逛街游湖的行程，好好享受在飯店裡的悠閑時光。因為天氣去哪兒都不方便的時候，真的很慶幸選了一間舒適的住宿…
If I were to make any complaints, I’d say the service can still improved. Perhaps because the hotel opened during COVID, it seemed like the staff were inexperienced especially in dealing with foreign customers – even though everyone was polite, there were small details that lacked consideration and fluidity. Hopefully with the opening of borders, service will pick up soon too.
若要說哪裡不是最滿意的，我覺得服務還有可以提升的空間。可能因為是疫情期間才新開幕的飯店，服務人員還沒有太多接待外國客人的經驗，雖然都非常有禮，但在小細節和流暢度上還不到完美。隨著旅客變多，希望很快會有改進。
KAI Yufuin 界 由布院
Price 價格： from 22,000 yen per night per person / 一晚一位22,000日幣起
Add 地址：398 Kawakami,Yufuincho, Yufu-shi ,Oita
Website 官網：hoshinoresorts.com/zh_tw/hotels/kaiyufuin